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CULTURAL PRESERVATION

Cultural Preservation protects the living ancestral knowledge that sustains humanity’s relationship with the Earth.
For the Mamos, Sagas, and many Indigenous nations, culture is not symbolic — it is territorial. It lives in sacred mountains, rivers, beaches, minerals, stones, shells, and natural sites where the Earth herself teaches the next generation.

To preserve the culture, we must preserve access to the places and natural materials that make the culture possible.

Safeguarding Ancestral Wisdom for Future Generations

The Crisis Facing Cultural Continuity

The natural resources and sacred places needed to train future Mamos and Sagas are being taken away.

In these traditions, the Earth is the school.

A child training to become a Mamo or Saga must interact with specific natural elements at specific stages of life:

  • particular stones and minerals

  • certain beaches where shells are gathered

  • sacred sites, caves, and rivers

  • elements found only in precise locations

These are not optional.


They are essential for the initiations, responsibilities, and spiritual development of the next generation.

But today, many of these places and materials have been taken from them.

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Privatization of Sacred Sites

Ancestral beaches, rivers, mountains, and mineral areas have been:

  • purchased by private owners

  • fenced off

  • restricted

  • turned into commercial properties

The tribes are no longer allowed to freely enter the places they have used for thousands of years.

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Monetization of Ancestral Resources

This is one of the most devastating impacts:

The stones, minerals, shells, and natural materials required to train future Mamos and Sagas must now be bought from private owners.

  • What was once freely gathered must now be purchased.

  • Prices are often high.

  • In some places, the tribes are denied access entirely.

This breaks the natural cycle of initiation and spiritual formation.

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The Spiritual Impact

Without access to these sacred places and materials:

  • children cannot complete the required stages of training

  • apprentices cannot gather the elements needed for ceremonies

  • elders cannot pass down the ancestral pathways

  • the formation of future Mamos and Sagas becomes nearly impossible

The lineages themselves are at risk.
The future spiritual leaders of these tribes cannot be created without access to the Earth’s natural teachings.

This is why Cultural Preservation is an urgent pillar.

What We Protect

Living Knowledge

Oral teachings, cosmology, and spiritual laws held by elders.

Sacred Practices

Ceremonies and initiations that depend on access to natural elements and sacred sites.

Natural Resources for Training

Ensuring the tribes can gather the stones, shells, minerals, plants, and materials needed to create the next generation of spiritual leaders.

Cultural Identity

Weaving, crafting, rituals, and language that express the soul of the people.

Intergenerational Continuity

Supporting the environments, materials, and relationships that allow elders to transmit the path to children and youth.

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How We Support Cultural Preservation

1. Access to Sacred Sites

We help elders regain access to ancestral beaches, rivers, and mineral areas essential for spiritual training.

2. Natural Materials for Training

We support communities in obtaining the stones, shells, minerals, and elements needed for initiations and ceremonies.

3. Support for Elders & Apprentices

We help ensure elders and youth have the travel, structure, and basic resources needed for cultural transmission.

4. Cultural Schools & Programs

We assist with the creation of weaving schools, music spaces, pottery houses, and other places where knowledge is passed to children.

5. Protection of Ceremonial Objects

We help safeguard sacred items through secure storage, proper facilities, and community-led protection efforts.

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Cultural Preservation protects the future Mamos, Sagas, artisans, elders, and the living traditions that hold the balance of the Earth.

Protect the teachings. Protect the land. Protect the next generation of Mamos and Sagas.

Your support helps restore access to sacred places, agricultural lands, and the natural resources required for cultural continuity.

Connect with Us

Join our mission for preservation!

NAC Golden Bridge Foundation

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